A study of cleft lip/palate in a community in the South East of Ghana

The previous study in Wudoaba villages suggested that cleft lip and cleft palate (CL/CP) may be endemic in the Wudoaba cluster of villages in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region in South East Ghana. The study was to detect the prevalence of CL/CP in the Wudoaba communities and to investigate the factors associated with the causes of this malformation in the area. Two different interview-based questionnaires were designed to collect data over a period of 3 days from March 27 to 29, 2006. A purposive and accidental random sampling technique was used in the administering of the various questionnaires to the respondents. Data collected were recorded and analyzed with SPSS version 17.0. A total 99 respondents, with a mean age of 55.0 years, were interviewed. Out of it, 57.6% (n = 57) were related to their spouses: 54 first cousins and three other family relations. The prevalence of CL/CP is at least 6.3 per 1,000 people (i.e., 25/4,000). Majority (56.0%, n = 14) of the cleft cases were unilateral. Interviews revealed that genetic homogeneity and vitamin deficiencies in this community may be a causal factor for the high prevalence of CL/CP. This community provides clues suggesting that the magnitude of CL/CP may be larger than other studies and identifies the Wudoaba population as one that could be further studied to explore the underlying factors causing this congenital malformation

IMPACTS SOCIO-ÉCONOMIQUES ET ENVIRONNEMENTAUX DE L’EXPLOITATION DE PRODUITS FORESTIERS NON LIGNEUX (CHAMPIGNONS ET MIEL) DANS LA COMMUNE RURALE DE LUOZI EN RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO

Contexte et objectif Le présent travail qui traite de deux produits forestiers non ligneux types, à savoir : les champignons et le miel, se propose comme objectif de rechercher l’impact socioéconomique et environnemental découlant de cette activité, sur la population rurale de Luozi et ses environs.   Méthode Une enquête descriptive de type interview a été menée dans la commune rurale de Luozi, dans la province du Kongo Central, en RD Congo du 16 octobre 2021 au 10 novembre 2022. Au total, 120 ménages pris de manière aléatoire constituant notre échantillon. La récolte de données a été faite à l’aide d’un questionnaire servant guide d’entretien chez les enquêtés. L’échantillonnage non probabiliste du type occasionnel a été utilisé. Les données collectées ont été saisies en EXCEL 2007 et exporter en SPSS version 20 pour les analyses statistiques.   Résultats Il sied de signaler que ces produits forestiers servent à alimentation (60% et +), à l’amélioration des revenus (85 % et +). Sources de conflits : champignons (16%), miel (10%) ; de toxicité : champignons (8%) ; de mortalité : miel (6%) ; traitement : miel (24%). Ces produits se ramassent dans la forêt ou savane (100%). Ils détruisent la forêt (35%), affectent leurs biomes respectifs (32%) et sont l’une des causes du changement climatique (20%), et du dépérissement des abeilles (3%). Conclusion L’impact de produits forestiers non ligneux, champignons et miel, est positif dans la commune rurale de Luozi et ses environs car leur  exploitation est régulière. Et nous demandons à la population d’en continuer leur exploitation tout en sauvegardant l’environnement.Contexte et objectif Le présent travail qui traite de deux produits forestiers non ligneux types, à savoir : les champignons et le miel, se propose comme objectif de rechercher l’impact socioéconomique et environnemental découlant de cette activité, sur la population rurale de Luozi et ses environs.   Méthode Une enquête descriptive de type interview a été menée dans la commune rurale de Luozi, dans la province du Kongo Central, en RD Congo du 16 octobre 2021 au 10 novembre 2022. Au total, 120 ménages pris de manière aléatoire constituant notre échantillon. La récolte de données a été faite à l’aide d’un questionnaire servant guide d’entretien chez les enquêtés. L’échantillonnage non probabiliste du type occasionnel a été utilisé. Les données collectées ont été saisies en EXCEL 2007 et exporter en SPSS version 20 pour les analyses statistiques.   Résultats Il sied de signaler que ces produits forestiers servent à alimentation (60% et +), à l’amélioration des revenus (85 % et +). Sources de conflits : champignons (16%), miel (10%) ; de toxicité : champignons (8%) ; de mortalité : miel (6%) ; traitement : miel (24%). Ces produits se ramassent dans la forêt ou savane (100%). Ils détruisent la forêt (35%), affectent leurs biomes respectifs (32%) et sont l’une des causes du changement climatique (20%), et du dépérissement des abeilles (3%). Conclusion L’impact de produits forestiers non ligneux, champignons et miel, est positif dans la commune rurale de Luozi et ses environs car leur  exploitation est régulière. Et nous demandons à la population d’en continuer leur exploitation tout en sauvegardant l’environnement.   Context and objectiveThis work, which deals with two typical non-timber forest products, namely: mushrooms and honey, aims to research the socio-economic and environmental impact resulting from this activityon the rural population of Luozi and its surroundings. MethodA descriptive interview-type survey was conducted in the rural commune of Luozi, in the Kongo Central province, in DR Congo, from October 16, 2021, to November 10, 2022. A total of 120 randomly selected households made up our sample. Data collection was done using a questionnaire that served as an interview guide for respondents. A non-probability sampling of the occasional type was used. The data collected was entered in EXCEL 2007 and exported to SPSS version 20 for statistical analysis. ResultsIt should be noted that these forest products are used for food (60% and +), and to improve incomes (85% and +). Sources of conflict: mushrooms (16%), honey (10%); toxicity: fungi (8%); mortality: honey (6%); treatment: honey (24%). These products are collected in the forest or savannah (100%). They destroy the forest (35%), affect their respective biomes (32%), and are one of the causes of climate change (20%) and bee dieback (3%). ConclusionThe impact of non-timber forest products, mushrooms, and honey is positive in the rural commune of Luozi and its surroundings because their exploitation is regular. And we ask the population to continue their exploitation while safeguarding the environment. Keywords: forest, non-timber forest products, mushrooms, honey, rural areas, DRC

Multiple Origins and Regional Dispersal of Resistant dhps in African Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Cally Roper and colleagues analyze the distribution of sulfadoxine resistance mutations and flanking microsatellite loci to trace the emergence and dispersal of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Africa

Multicenter plastic surgery outreach services for underserved Ghanaian communities

Abstract This paper describes the efforts of one plastic surgery team composed of Ghanaians from one of the major metropolitan areas in Ghana to meet the plastic surgery needs of rural Ghanaian communities. The aim was to analyze retrospectively the cases managed by the team, the difficulties which arose over a 14-year period, and the provision of recommendations for such future work. This study reviewed the medical records of patients treated during 86 outreach visits to nine centers from October 1995 to September 2009. The team, drawn from three hospitals, comprised a plastic surgeon and surgical support staff. They mostly treated Buruli ulcers, postburns scar contractures, chronic ulcers, facial clefts, tumors, and breast diseases. In all, 2,284 patients were managed during the period under review, giving an average of 163 patients per year and 254 per center. Buruli ulcers accounted for the largest group of cases treated during the outreaches (41%). Other common diagnoses were postburn scar contractures and cleft lip and palate deformities. This paper provides an example of the possibilities for surgical outreach work that exist and how challenges that come up during surgical outreach visits can be handled effectively. It also highlights the need for outreach medical work in developing countries like Ghana, especially since there is a reduction in foreign outreach medical missions. The authors encourage all stakeholders involved in health care delivery to initiate and support local medical outreach teams to provide care to rural communities

Immunogenicity and persistence of the 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) in patients with untreated Smoldering Multiple Myeloma (SMM): A pilot study

Smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) is an asymptomatic clonal plasma cell disorder that frequently progress to multiple myeloma (MM), a disease at high risk of pneumococcal infections. Moreover, if the polysaccharide vaccine is poorly immunogenic in MM, the 13-valent conjugated vaccine has never been tested in clonal plasma cell disorders. We evaluated its immunogenicity for 7 serotypes in 20 patients ≥ 50 years of age with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) pre and post routine-vaccination with PCV13.Concentrations of IgG specific for 7 serotypes were measured at baseline, 1, 6, and 12 months after vaccination by standardized ELISA and an Opsonophagocytic Assay (OPA). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients responding to at least 5 of the 7 serotypes by ELISA at one month.At 1 month post vaccination, 12 patients (60%) were responders by ELISA, among whom 8 were also responders by OPA. At 6 months, 6 (30% of total) of the 12 responders had persistent immunity, and only 2 (10% of total) at 12 months. These results suggested a partial response in this population and a rapid decrease in antibody levels in the first months of vaccination.Although one injection of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is immunogenic in some patients with SMM, the response is transient. Repeated injections are likely to be needed for effective and sustained protection

Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles Produced by Aspergillus fumigatus Protoplasts

International audienceExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous compartments produced by yeast and mycelial forms of several fungal species. One of the difficulties in perceiving the role of EVs during the fungal life, and particularly in cell wall biogenesis, is caused by the presence of a thick cell wall. One alternative to have better access to these vesicles is to use protoplasts. This approach has been investigated here with Aspergillus fumigatus, one of the most common opportunistic fungal pathogens worldwide. Analysis of regenerating protoplasts by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy indicated the occurrence of outer membrane projections in association with surface components and the release of particles with properties resembling those of fungal EVs. EVs in culture supernatants were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Proteomic and glycome analysis of EVs revealed the presence of a complex array of enzymes related to lipid/sugar metabolism, pathogenic processes, and cell wall biosynthesis. Our data indicate that (i) EV production is a common feature of different morphological stages of this major fungal pathogen and (ii) protoplastic EVs are promising tools for undertaking studies of vesicle functions in fungal cells